Oh, engineers are terribly superstitious! That's why, when we can't get something to work and all else has failed, we lock our computer screens and take a walk around the office building three times. And various other voodoo tricks. In my office, we call it having "moved on to the rain dances."

I don't know where ti originated but this custom is alive and well here in Australia. I gave a friend of mine a buck knife via my Mother (I was in the US at the time and she visited me so she took it back with her) and he immediately gave her 5c to give to me.

I've also seen pre packaged knife gift set that included a coin.

We also have a similar tradition of not giving a wallet or purse empty, of course the recipient gets to keep that money, unlike the kinfe money.

In additions to knives, I was always told that whenever someone gave you a metal gift of any sort, you should give them a coin (penny, nickel, franc, yen, whatever your currency happens to be). The belief is that as the metal wears down, so to does the friendship. I always thought it was an old Okinawan custom, but it's interesting to find that it's international.

BTW, I really like this forum! I found it searching for some info/tips/advice about spice grinders. Keep up the great work!

As with many things people put in to automatic dishwashers it will tend to, over time, ruin the handles & tarnish the blades. Between the automatic dishwashing liquid and the electric drying elements the poor things don't have a chance. It is more evident with the old knives, being old carbon steel with wooden handles.

My mother-in-law has been washing her knives for years this way, the plastic handles are wavy or cracked or loose from expanding and contracting so much with the temperature fluctuations. They're about 10 year old Wustoffs. She really didn't even notice, but then I pointed out her glass drinking glasses. Once crystal clear and pretty, now look as though they've been through a New Mexican sand storm. Her sauce pans are the same.

Anything I want to keep or care about does not get in to the dish washer.

As with many things people put in to automatic dishwashers it will tend to, over time, ruin the handles & tarnish the blades. Between the automatic dishwashing liquid and the electric drying elements the poor things don't have a chance. It is more evident with the old knives, being old carbon steel with wooden handles.

My mother-in-law has been washing her knives for years this way, the plastic handles are wavy or cracked or loose from expanding and contracting so much with the temperature fluctuations. They're about 10 year old Wustoffs. She really didn't even notice, but then I pointed out her glass drinking glasses. Once crystal clear and pretty, now look as though they've been through a New Mexican sand storm. Her sauce pans are the same.

Anything I want to keep or care about does not get in to the dish washer.

Dr. B.

Does that also go for baking sheets?

It depends upon what type of baking sheet we're talking about. Certainly nothing non-stick should be put in to the dishwasher. Unless the manufacturer states that it can. If the baking sheet rusts, no dishwasher. If it is aluminum, that should be okay. But the soap tends to dull the finish and makes it look funky. I put no aluminum pieces in the dishwasher, unless they've already been dulled. And I have no idea about those rubbery ones that are bendy, you'd have to ask the manufacturer about those.

"Michael Chu" ....but it increases the flavors of spices and sweets.
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robC : I have been substituting salt in recipies with lemon juice, it also brings out the flavours, cut the tartness with a teaspoon of sugar.
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If you go over a trace amount of salt , you taste the
salt ! If you are within that trace , few will ever guess !
And it adds "body" . a bit of Salt to sugar adds body .
even lemonaide gets body from salt .

Cook and leach out the alkaline with an acid thats
most active with that alkaline , then add sod' to\
absorb acess added alk' .
Many say to salt out the alkaline for table salt will
buffer out the unwanted alk' .
But why not just add , the more powerful Sodium , cause it
dont have the unwanted chlorine ?!
When they are perfectly bland , no bitter AT ALL nor
acid .
Now any added sugar / salt wont detract .
You know how failing to get the bitter out with salt
stops any furth salt improvement ! and sugar won't
help for its allready too strong .
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Too much hot pepper is
1) milk first and
2 ) sugar 2nd .
Chocolate has both , eat Habernas / Jalapenos and
choco' washes your tongue quick .
J' jelly has lots of sugar , thus can't be strong .

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You need no lemon at ALL to make aple pie !
Mix up food grade citric acid and sugar as your lemon .
NO ONE CAN Taste the difference unless you are
type B ( for bitter ) .
Some people hate bitter lemons ( Asian has ONLY bitter
, except L ' grass ) , others like a little bitter .

I like apple pie not at all bitter , so i'm type A ha ha ha .
I mix up citric acid and lots of sugar to make my lemonaide
i drink lots of lemonaide , even on top of other foods .
I say my lemonaide is mssing nothing , but then im not type
B ( bitter ) .
The Thai people ( im in T') have only bitter limes , lemon
grass and any dish will get lemon grass or the substitute ,
lime .
They can't taste the difference . I can !!